Employment agencies

I have found that employment agencies are no good. First of all, companies only use them to get work for a 1 day to 2 weeks to cover someone who is absent or an event the company personnel need to attend. Second, companies will not hire you from an agency because agencies charge the company up to $3,000 to let you go. The object of the agency is to keep a list of names so that in the event they ever are contacted by a company, they have someone to sent out immediately to make themselves look good. Third, agencies lie about having jobs. I visited one agency I was signed and everytime I went to their office there were only 2 people working there, and never anyone in the waiting room. Fourth, all my friends who ever signed up with an agency told me the same thing I am reading constantly on the internet, that agencies are a waste of time.

I agree with Paula, I too went into Apple One late one afternoon and waited and waited for someone to wait on me, when they finally did they took me to a uppity woman who looked me up and down and said, 'wow, with this resume we can get you a great job'. I really got excited. She said since it was so late in the day to come back the next. I left all jazzed! I arrived the next day only to get a receptionist who was upset that I never took any test! I said I wasn't going to take any test, that it was a waste of time (I've been to Volt, Manpower etc before-nothing after all those tests!) I said I wanted to see the rep I talked to yesterday, which after 45 minutes I finally got to see. Well, her attitude had changed completely, now she didn't have anything for me, and that she would call me! what a waste of time! Manpower was even worse, if that can possibly be, I just don't understand why the employers don't have their own HR folks handle there own interviews and forget these no good companies, in the long run it has just got to cost these companies MORE by going thru incompentent temp services! Wake up employers!!!!!

Employers don't have H.R. departments anymore because for some reason it looks good on their bottom line. Less employees, less money going out. And they don't care what kind of employees they have. Perfect example, Unitedhealth. They lay off the good employees faster than the sit back and do nothing ones almost everytime. Why because they lay off the ones that have been rewarded in the past, the ones who have been there long enough to have bigger salaries and better benefits to save money. Agencies like Office Team, Apple One etc. constantly do the bait and switch. And why do employment agencies constantly change the name of their company? Makes you wonder.

I agree TOTALLY. Agencies are a big waste of time they SUCK!
I don't understand how they stay in business. Maybe they are selling your personal information so they can make money cause it sure doesn't look like they are finding jobs for anyone! I used to work in HR and had all these moron recruiters calling every day sweet talking to you like they are your best friend! HAH! APPLEONE made me take all of their tests which I passed in the 80% group and then I never heard from them. Here I am with 20 years of experience working for execs and they don't have anything for me???? What a load of BS! ALL OF THEM STINK - Robert Half, Appleone, Office Team, Spherion, take your pick - they are all sleazebags! You might as well stand at the exit of I-95 with your hand out all day and make more money than what these agencies can do for you!

Agency recruiters are nothing more than commission-hungry salespeople who are under pressure to make placements. They invite you into the into the office to fillout a bunch of paperwork and take exams so that they can tell potential client that they have plenty of qualified applicants. The're sneaky bottom feeders who kiss the a**ses of their clients while giving job seekers the run around.

As a recruiter myself, please allow me a moment to offer my opinion (for what it is worth).
I am a retired Credit and Collections Manager who left mainstream corporate America and joined a staffing firm here in Dallas, TX. I took the job to honestly help people change their lives, so I can feel better about myself.
We specialize in A/R staffing - Both consumer and business to business.
On some of the huge national staffing firms, they bring candidates in to pump them for marketing leads. When they ask you "where you have applied", they take the company names and hand them over to a salesrep to get their foot in the door.
Our staffing firm only contacts candidates with specific opportunities, and not bring interviews in the office to get more leads.

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AppleOne on the other hand, only seems to have a few jobs they are really recruiting for at a time.

i.e. a joke of a mortgage company- that whole scene was a farce. You walk in, and everyone in the place was dressed really nicely. The cars in the parking lot were really nice. What they said I would make sounded really nice. (No offense to anyone without a car because I had to take public transportation for nearly ten years) but come to find out, everyone in that place took the bus there because they could not afford a car. I begged AppleOne to set me up with someone else as I was not doing well after I realized how seedy this place was, running credit checks without consent. No dice. All she had was a job that paid much less. One of the ones she always has. Hmm... funny, what about all the ones on line? Yeah...

So, here I am looking for a job again. I tried contacting other reps for positions and get referred back to mine. I get a call for a sales position position with Yellow Book. Long story short, I tell my rep (that NEVER calls me back on anything I am really interested in) that I can't do outside sales because of my car lease. Didn't care. Fast forward- make it to the second interview, tell them the mileage is an issue. Call my rep up and the eleventeed year old starts lecturing me on how to interview properly and that I should not have mentioned the car. Hmm... I said up front that I was not upping my lease and was not going to be forced to buy out my car in four years from putting on 48k extra miles on it. I told her that I needed to take some time to think things over and not to submit me to the inside sales for the same company. I still get a phone call from her later to set up an interview after I already said no.

I think I am done with this place. They do pull the whole "who else have you been interviewing with" deal, too.

I agree they are a waste of time. Once I went to the San Mateo branch and the person I met with told me that they had the same jobs as the San Francisco office. Hello we are talking about another county and there is no way that they can have the same jobs as San Francisco branch office. San Francisco just find jobs for San francisco. So it is fake jobs. Stay away.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Headhunters are a bunch of no-goods. Among other things, they are rude, deceive and renege on promises. But what's stopping you from applying to companies directly?

Research phone books, the internet, etc., for companies and firms in your vocation. Research these companies further and determine which one at which you'd like to work. Call them and ask for the name of the HR person. Then send each of these people by name resumes and cover letters expressing your interest in a position. Use nice, professional paper for your cover letters and resumes, and send them by regular U.S. mail so they look nice upon arrival, as opposed to e-mail and fax.

Applying to companies directly takes time and effort and postage isn't cheap, but, unfortunately, job-hunting takes time and effort. But, with applying to companies directly you end-run headhunters, you are in control of your job search and, as opposed to headhunters' anonymous ads, you know where you are applying to for jobs.

I was not utilizing them as my only effort, but as a supplement. On my own, I did find a position as an admissionscounselor.
The pushy tactics of employment agencies has a lot to do with the fact that they make money off of placing people like us. They really don't care if it is a good fit, just that they fill a position.

On the other hand, it is funny that businesses, don't also, do the leg work. They have to pay a pretty penny to have you, as an employee, either A) bought out for thousands of dollars for a direct placement, or B) pay more hourly for you than if they acquired you directly on their own.
At least now, I work for an institution that helps students get placed (even during their degrees) for free. I only went to work at this organization, after a friend attested to how was assisted in gettng placed with GE right after finishing his 2 year degree.
There are so many other avenues to go.

The bait and switch technique is very popular here with the agencies in London. They'll post an ad for 11-12/hr.(which is very very good for London, sadly) So I call up and say "hey I'm interested in that job, I'm already with you guys" only to tell me "that's just an ad we run to build our labor pool".

So I sit there wondering YTF they even bother with that because they can't even get the people that are already registered with them work!

Or if that's not the case, they'll just offer you a job for 8 bucks an hour, and then go on yelling at you that "alot of people would love to make 8 bucks an hour! you shouldn't be so damn picky!".

Another thing is, they have a stranglehold on all the shops here. Whether it be a big one like Keiper or Magee-Rieter or a small print shop that has maybe 20 people on payroll. The only way to find work is to do what I call the "agnecy shuffle" where you bounce from job to job.

Of course, if you're lucky enough to get an interview directly with a company, they'll just turn you down because you've had too many jobs in the past, and they'll say they need someone with a stable employment history.

Which I would have, had companies like that auctully hired directly instead of using an angecy worker, then throwing him /her away in a few months like a peice of garbage.

I've worked on all sides of the fence: for HR, for a staffing agency as a Recruiter and as a temp for a staffing agency. While I would agree with some of the comments posted and I do understand the frustration, I personally would not employ such tactics. The reason is that my business is built on my name and reputation in the industry and I want both my temps and my clients to know that I am honest and forthcoming. If I don't have a job for you, I won't make you come in and take a billion tests that sometimes don't mean anything. I'll also do my best to let you know the reason why (and if your feelings get hurt, please don't hate me for my honesty!). Employers can be very picky and sometimes don't even give me a reason why they reject my people. My recommendation would be to talk with people who have had good experiences and find out who they've gone through, but again, the experience can be different for everyone. Happy hunting!

JH in Ft Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida said: I agree TOTALLY. Agencies are a big waste of time they S!
I don't understand how they stay in business. Maybe they are selling your personal information so they can make money cause it sure doesn't look like they are finding jobs for anyone! I used to work in HR and had all these moron recruiters calling every day sweet talking to you like they are your best friend! HAH!

Apple One sent me out on a 2 week assignment after leading me to believe it was temp to perm. When my 2 weeks were up, I asked the client if they were going to need me more & the response was "oh, we can't afford to pay the fee". One plus, it was dandy b/c the client was awful & had a huge turnover. When I see positions posted & ask my AppleOne Recruiter, it's always "filled". Temp agencies are ALL the same. I keep seeing the same position posted with numberous agencies.

One more interesting tidbit...when I was a recruiter and a client was visiting, all the other offices were told to keep calling our office to make the client think we were busy.

Apple One sent me out on a 2 week assignment after leading me to believe it was temp to perm. When my 2 weeks were up, I asked the client if they were going to need me more & the response was "oh, we can't afford to pay the fee". One plus, it was dandy b/c the client was awful & had a huge turnover. When I see positions posted & ask my AppleOne Recruiter, it's always "filled". Temp agencies are ALL the same. I keep seeing the same position posted with numberous agencies.

One more interesting tidbit...when I was a recruiter and a client was visiting, all the other offices were told to keep calling our office to make the client think we were busy.

I am wondering if the temp agencies can keep personal info (police reports, applications, etc). I was really treated rude by a temp agency after they found that I had a felony conviction. i told them up front and the jobs they sent me to wanted to hire me. The supervisor at the temp place said, "they dont tell me what to do. I have made my decision." She then said she would not give me back my personal info. Is this legal?

Down with all headhunters! I had good results with one agency, promised a job, and then told my fingerprints were in error which was actually could not be used in that job because of credit issues. One agency has been sued by me; I'm thinking about suing another because I had been slated to start with B of A through a talent agency but arrived 15 minutes late due to inclement weather and a traffic jam on the interstate. The girl was getting ready to leave at the time. Now, she's going to talk to the manager as to when I can start. Bottom line is stay away from the agencies and corporations, work for the state or the hospitals.

I acutally worked in house for AO and they are crazy. We were told to get leads from everyone that calls in and walks in through our doors. We asked where they have been interviewing and where they would like to work....and by the way - those personal and professional references you give them - are used for LEADS, LEADS and more LEADS. They call them up and either try to get a job order or to recruit those people for jobs that AO probably doesn't even have. SO be very careful on WHO you use as a reference if you make the mistake to register with AO.
There is so much more. I wouldn't ever use an agency again. Especially AO. They are all about sales, numbers and who do you know!
They don't care about YOU! YOU are just a product on a shelf, a can of soup perhaps!
They are unprofessional in the office. They discriminate and try to cover that up with "trying to place my candidate in the right position/environment."
You want scoop - I can give you scoop!

Yes it is - at least in CA because the paperwork you are signing is their property. If you have a copy of an actual application that you filled out in Indiana - check out the fine print. Even if they tried to appease you and gave you back the paperwork you signed - there is still your personal info in their database. Most things are NOT locked up either. You'd be surprised that most file cabinets DO NOT have locks and contained in them are applications wiht addresses, social security numbers and birthdates!

As a long-time corporate recruiter who got his start as an agency recruiter, I can attest to the fact that most staffing agencies out there are unethical, sales-driven organizations who promise far more than they can deliver to both clients and jobseekers. This includes making false promises to people, in terms of salary and opportunities for full-time positions ("It's temp-to-hire, but the company ALWAYS converts our people to fulltime employees after 3 months!"). The latest post from AppleOne - for a recruiter who "can expect to make up to $170,000 a year", is a great example of this. Recruiters who work at staffing agencies are typically entry-level people, or lifers who lack true recruiting ability. The vast majority of recruiters who wish to advance their careers, truly develop their skills, and work for ethical companies get out of the staffing agency setting as soon as possible.

R.Diaz in Polk City, Florida said: All these recruiters are just sneaky salesman trying to pick info off your resume for sales leads to make commission. Here's how it works:

They post bogus (teaser) ads for jobs that they don't have so that job seekers can apply to or call the agency. The agency then invites the unknowing candidate in to fill out an application. Little does the job seeker know that these seedy recruiters just want to use you to get the names and numbers of your past supervisors so that they can solicit their services. Once they got what they want- see ya!

Avoid recruiters and apply directly to companies! If you've been on some interviews or found a job on your own- don't tell them anything. Don't give them any sales leads. Don't give them SH*T.

I agree with you 100%. I applied to a few jobs at Apple One, got called in to do the computer tests and interview......was told they had the type of jobs that I was looking for and they would give me a call the next day since it was late in the day. Kept getting the run around from the recruiter Terri Sheehan yet she still insisted that she had jobs for me and to be patient!!! I ended up finding a job on my own and will never recommend Apple One to anyone.

ITA! Agencies will fill up the job websites and newspapers, with glorified jobs, but after you sign up for the permanent job, they don't call. They might call you for a temp that will "be long term" or "temp to perm" but that rarely happens. While I was temping, often see the office manager (of the place I am temping) interviewing people for my job. Not worth the heartbreak, waste of time.

I think they have some kind of data base, or perhaps the client has called more than one. Or the agency calls the other agency posing as an applicant.

In any event, it's competitive out there, and the agencies will do anything, even lie to the client, to get you in. But they will not encourage the client to hire you, because they make more money off you as a temp.

They try to also bloat their files so that they can tell clients how many good applicants on file!

Also, beware of the companies with high turn over. I've heard only a little about the bad ones, but when I temped there (temp to perm)-- wow, such abuse of the employment laws, bullies, bad housekeeping, etc.

Betty in San Diego, California said: I agree with Paula, I too went into Apple One late one afternoon and waited and waited for someone to wait on me, when they finally did they took me to a uppity woman who looked me up and down and said, 'wow, with this resume we can get you a great job'. I really got excited. She said since it was so late in the day to come back the next. I left all jazzed! I arrived the next day only to get a receptionist who was upset that I never took any test! I said I wasn't going to take any test, that it was a waste of time (I've been to Volt, Manpower etc before-nothing after all those tests!) I said I wanted to see the rep I talked to yesterday, which after 45 minutes I finally got to see. Well, her attitude had changed completely, now she didn't have anything for me, and that she would call me! what a waste of time! Manpower was even worse, if that can possibly be, I just don't understand why the employers don't have their own HR folks handle there own interviews and forget these no good companies, in the long run it has just got to cost these companies MORE by going thru incompentent temp services! Wake up employers!!!!!

I had to reply to you to let you know....sometimes recruiters do see a FABULOUS resume, then the person and their attitude unravels everything we thought about the possibility of placing the person. Keep that in mind next time you tell them that part of their process is a waste of time.

Allen in Jeffersonville, Indiana said: I am wondering if the temp agencies can keep personal info (police reports, applications, etc). I was really treated rude by a temp agency after they found that I had a felony conviction. i told them up front and the jobs they sent me to wanted to hire me. The supervisor at the temp place said, "they dont tell me what to do. I have made my decision." She then said she would not give me back my personal info. Is this legal?

once you fill out an application for employment, that application and any information including background checks they have conducted are now their property. T

Lynda in Los Angeles, California said:In any event, it's competitive out there, and the agencies will do anything, even lie to the client, to get you in. But they will not encourage the client to hire you, because they make more money off you as a temp.

There were some good points in your post, coming from a person who used to be in staffing.

However, staffing firms make MORE from a direct hire than temporary. It's MORE profitable to charge and receive a one time fee for placement than to carry costs each week for temporary work and continue to wait for invoices to be paid.

For example, if I get a one time $7000 placement fee for someone making $35,000 (20%, very common for the industry,) I get that money w/in a few weeks and it's in the bank. There's still a guarantee to the client if the person leaves or is terminated - but it's not an additional cost. $17 an hour ($35k annually) would lead to about a 60% bill rate, which would be about $27.00 per hour. That INCLUDES the $17 per hour.

What's left is $10 per hour. Full time, that person would need to work 700 hours, or about 18 weeks, just to even with the $7,000 direct hire. And from that $10 an hour comes things like payroll taxes and insurance and other costs.

So, any reasonably sane staffing professional will try to get direct hire positions as often as possible. They are more profitable and the employee is on the company's payroll form day one.

However, the client ultimately makes this decision. Some would rather "test drive" employees, and prefer the temp to hire route.

Betty in San Diego, California said: I agree with Paula, I too went into Apple One late one afternoon and waited and waited for someone to wait on me, when they finally did they took me to a uppity woman who looked me up and down and said, 'wow, with this resume we can get you a great job'. I really got excited. She said since it was so late in the day to come back the next. I left all jazzed! I arrived the next day only to get a receptionist who was upset that I never took any test! I said I wasn't going to take any test, that it was a waste of time (I've been to Volt, Manpower etc before-nothing after all those tests!) I said I wanted to see the rep I talked to yesterday, which after 45 minutes I finally got to see. Well, her attitude had changed completely, now she didn't have anything for me, and that she would call me! what a waste of time! Manpower was even worse, if that can possibly be, I just don't understand why the employers don't have their own HR folks handle there own interviews and forget these no good companies, in the long run it has just got to cost these companies MORE by going thru incompentent temp services! Wake up employers!!!!!

You are so right on Betty in San Diego
I applied in Oceanside, CAlifornia and was given approx 4 minutes with the Senior Acct Rep who was rude and cut me off and and I asked I see you have several "Receptionist" positions for me that I qualify for, I am a professional and been in the workplace 20 plus years and 7 of them at one job and 4 years at another.
The rep told me" You know the competition is great now" so you keep looking on your own. What a thing to say when you go there for them to try to help you find work! I am so mad, I got the big run around and wasted time. They are a scam and I will continue to tell everyone I know what they stand for - deceptive practices and prey on vulnerable people. I need a job badly asap!
I am angry with them. I wish they could be turned in.

These temp agencies make up phony jobs and advertise them, to get people to come in and sign up. Everyone knows that now, its no big secret.

They will also call your references and bug them to death. They don't want your references just to find out about you; they want to call your references to pitch their company's services for providing temporaries. When you give them a reference, you are giving them a contact name of someone at your company who does hiring. Why help these temp agencies out like this, especially when they may never send you on an assignment anywhere?

manpower rep in West Palm Beach, Florida said: I had to reply to you to let you know....sometimes recruiters do see a FABULOUS resume, then the person and their attitude unravels everything we thought about the possibility of placing the person. Keep that in mind next time you tell them that part of their process is a waste of time.

Oh please. I am not buying that. Most people applying to agencies put their best foot forward, because they want a good assignment or job.

Why don't you explain the fact that temp agencies lie about assignments being temp-to-perm. Why don't you explain the fact that they simply use our references as a sales tool to find leads. Why don't you explain the fact that temp agencies make up phony jobs and advertise them.

There is so much dishonesty in the temp industry that any "attitude" an applicant shows pales in comparison to the deceitful behavior of the agency.

Presently, I haven't had any luck with employment agencies. I will say that in the past I did with Robert Half and Accountants on Call (I think they were bought out). Coming out of school I had a degree in accounting and those 2 did get me quality job interviews.

In regards to AppleOne, I have never dealt with them.

Recently, last Friday to be exact, 2 agency recruiters did lie to me (small lies). 1)Culver said that they would send me a personal infomation form for me to fill out-never received it. This is after I told them that I was not interested in interviewing with Yellowbook. I could tell that that was her way of just ending the phone call quickly, by saying ok, no problem I'm sending you a form so you can be registered with us, please fill it out in your spare time.

You have to remember, their client is the COMPANY, so unfortunately, they could care less about the job seeker if the job seeker is not the right fit for the position. I think it's because of the way people are brought up in today's world- no common courtesy for their fellow human being.

Another agency in Georgia called me, I told her that I interviewed in May with the comp that she had in mind for me. I told her that I did well but never got another interview with the comp. She told me that she would contact the mgr of the comp and find out exactly how I did and if he would want to interview me face to face this time around. She never got back to me, I believe that she never will either, just lip service on her part.

I have signed on with Apple One - three or four times over the years. They have never sent me on even one assignment. Here is my opinion: they have a very lengthy application process and lots of testing they require. Its very time intensive - you would likely spend the better part of a day at their agency, filling out forms and taking tests. Its a waste of time for me, and I will no longer sign on with them, period. That is my opinion.

Temp agencies in general are very eager to get lots of references, so they can get contact names for a sales pitch. I once had a temp agency contact me out of the blue, and demand I give them my references over the phone, so they could start calling them! I told them "sorry, no" and never dealt with them again.

Agencies definitely suck! They are con artists! Their promises to put you to work are 100% bogus. They lie just to get you in the door, and once you've wasted half the day filling out their paperwork and taking their meaningless tests, they either ignore you completely or send you out on little one-day assigments and then stop calling altogether; when you call in to say you're available, they give you the run-around. At various times, I had signed on with Apple One, Randstad (very rude), Exact Staff (crazy staff: screaming and yelling), Barrington Staffing, Manpower, Office Team (which was bought out by Robert Half) - what a bunch of phonies and liars: bait and switch.

I had called Manpower to make an appointment to register with them; the man who answered was extreme;y rude; he curtly told me to e-mail him my resume with a cover letter. After I did this, I called him back to see if he received it; this time a woman answered; she yelled, "Get off the phone! We're busy!" and then hung up on me. I am not easily shockied, but this incident was truly beyond the pale; I wrote a letter of complaint to the Manpower HR Dep't. at their U.S. corportate office, not that I expect a reply from these people.

I will NEVER sign up with another agency again! Stay away from agencies; they are bogus and a total waste of time.

The client companies lie about how long they need a temp to work. They will tell the agency its "temp to hire" but they really just need someone for a couple of weeks; then after the two weeks are up, they will make up all kinds of negative stories about the temp, to justify letting them go. In some cases, the client company will make up bad stories about the temp to see if they can get their fee refunded either partially, or in full. It is the temporary worker who suffers from these lies and slander.

"The client companies lie about how long they need a temp to work. They will tell the agency its "temp to hire" but they really just need someone for a couple of weeks; then after the two weeks are up, they will make up all kinds of negative stories about the temp, to justify letting them go. In some cases, the client company will make up bad stories about the temp to see if they can get their fee refunded either partially, or in full. It is the temporary worker who suffers from these lies and slander."

Unfortunately, this is all too true: this had happened to me as well as to a couple of other temp workers I knew; we were neither slackers nor incompetent, but the client chose to bad-mouth us anyway. Since most agencies will tell the client their fee will be refunded if they don't like the temp, this is how clients can get temp workers for free. Clients like this are every bit as sleazy as the agencies.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: And there was the headhunter who pushed a contract at me at the end of my interview. I had interviewed for a fee-paid position; the contract would have bound me for her fee should I be terminated or if I quit.

That sounds illegal as well as sleazy! Makes you wonder if these agencies could be reported to the Dep't. of Labor (they should be!).

I went on unemployment benefits six months ago. I decided against temping because I've heard stories about temp agencies messing with people's unemployment benefits. They would lie and claim the temp had refused a work assignment or something, and the temp would lose their benefits. Or worse, the temp could wind up in jail for fraud against the unemployment benefits system. Its very, very risky to work for a temp agency if you are collecting unemployment!! Just remember that.

And these days, temp agencies are paying such low wages that you are probably better off just getting some retail work to tide you over in between jobs. I am thinking of applying at some local clothing stores. I refuse to temp ever again.

"What about People Resources Inc...I have tried to get in touch with this person. I called her, sent her emails and she has not yet returned one single email or phone call..." I feel bad for you; this is so typical of these agencies. They just make these bogus promises in order to boost their numbers.

"...But not every case is actionable - and that is the truth." Understood! I realise most, if not all, attempts to sue in this type of situation with employment agencies are not successful.

However, I wonder - if the case were really extreme: if one could prove "intentional infliction of emotional distress" re: a pattern of broken promises on the part of an employment agency - perhaps then one might have a case? (Not speaking for myself - just hypothetical.)

Hi, I realize that some of these comments were posted a while ago, but in response to the most recent postings...maybe I can shine a little light on what it is we at a staffing firm, or "agency" actually do. I will say that you aren't the first person to sound irritated or confused as to why you didnt get a call back. maybe I can explain. First I will say that I'm a healthcare recruiter so I do not make my candidates do any sort of "testing" and I am up front with in the first 10 minutes of the interview as to whether or not I will be able to help the person sitting in front of me.

the reason the recruiter has not called or contacted you back, is probably due to one of the following reasons...

she had a position in mind, found your resume and thought you looked like a great fit, she then met with you and sorry to say didnt think you presented yourself well. for instance, if I'm recruiting for a nurse at an oncology floor at a hospital, and that nurse shows up smelling like smoke, and airs all of her dirty laundry to me in the first 10 minutes, I'm going to think twice about using her. we as recruiters have 1 million things going on during the course of 1 day so if we spent all of our time calling the people that were not 'usable' we wouldnt get anything else done.

secondly if she wasnt working on any specific job and found your resume and thought you looked good on paper, her plan was probably to "skill market" you and find you a job that way. let me say this-----WE ARE NOT GOD---we cant make a hiring manager call us back, we cant make things happen quicker than they are going to...we are at the mercy of our clients. so we can send your resume to 20 places, but if we aren't getting feedback on our end, its hard to give you any. should we call you and let you know this? absolutley, but unfortunatly sometimes the day gets away from us.

"she had a position in mind, found your resume and thought you looked like a great fit, she then met with you and sorry to say didnt think you presented yourself well. for instance, if I'm recruiting for a nurse at an oncology floor at a hospital, and that nurse shows up smelling like smoke, and airs all of her dirty laundry to me in the first 10 minutes, I'm going to think twice about using her. we as recruiters have 1 million things going on during the course of 1 day so if we spent all of our time calling the people that were not 'usable' we wouldnt get anything else done"

How rude of you to infer that we workers are all a bunch of physically dirty slobs, and that all of us reveal all sorts of uncalled-for personal info during an interview! You really have your nerve! I, for one, take great care in my appearance and always look professional, lady-like, and CLEAN! Furthermore, I always conduct myself in a poised, professional manner, and it would never occur to me to reveal intimate details of my personal life during an interview.

Please do not arrogantly assume that ALL workers are physically grimy and smelly, the way folks were hundreds of years ago during the medieval period. Very insulting.

Night Cat in Hollywood, California said: "she had a position in mind, found your resume and thought you looked like a great fit, she then met with you and sorry to say didnt think you presented yourself well. for instance, if I'm recruiting for a nurse at an oncology floor at a hospital, and that nurse shows up smelling like smoke, and airs all of her dirty laundry to me in the first 10 minutes, I'm going to think twice about using her. we as recruiters have 1 million things going on during the course of 1 day so if we spent all of our time calling the people that were not 'usable' we wouldnt get anything else done"

How rude of you to infer that we workers are all a bunch of physically dirty slobs, and that all of us reveal all sorts of uncalled-for personal info during an interview! You really have your nerve! I, for one, take great care in my appearance and always look professional, lady-like, and CLEAN! Furthermore, I always conduct myself in a poised, professional manner, and it would never occur to me to reveal intimate details of my personal life during an interview.

Please do not arrogantly assume that ALL workers are physically grimy and smelly, the way folks were hundreds of years ago during the medieval period. Very insulting.

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WOW! ok, you absolutley misunderstood what I was saying. did i say "all workers"...did I say "smelly or midevil"...my point was that, there is a reason for a recruiter not to return someones calls, and simply used an example of something that actually happened in my office....I did not say that was YOU, and didnt think it would be taken literally. did you miss the part where i said, it could also just simply be the fact that the client never returned the recruiters call? I think you should read over my response and then read again what you wrote...it doesnt make any sense and sounds like you take things a bit personal. I was actually trying to help.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I agree with everything you are saying, maybe my comment came across wrong. Recruiters should absolutley follow up, we should do it when we say we are going to and never leave anyone "hanging"..I'm not saying that any candidate should be treated in a less than considerate manor. My response was in regards to people thinking that once they come in to meet with us, we "owe them a job" or the thought that if we cant find you something its our fault. my comment about not having time to follow up right away was to the girl who said, "she called a bunch of times and kept e-mailing, and still no response". If i call a candidate on a Friday to tell them I'm still looking or I have sent their resume to 3 of my clients, there is no need for them to bombard me with e-mails and calls on Monday morning. Again, we make our money by placing candidates, we dont get a huge salary and are expected to work for our commission- trust me, if I have a job open and you match what my client is seeking, I'm going to do everything I can to get you hired.

I came across this forum and realized there were a lot of angry people that were upset with the experiences they had with recruiters and wanted to put it out there and let people know that there are some of us that work very hard for our candidates and are not "the bad guys"...

My success has not happened because I've blown candidates off, wasted their time, and ran some sort of "scam"....I wouldnt still be in this business if thats what my day consisted of.

My problem with recruiters is when they want me to come in, just so they can get my references and use them as sales tools. They call my references and bug them to death to try and get business with them! This is why I no longer use recruiters or temp agencies.

I agree with you, I'm tired of hearing recruiters talk like all of us prospective workers have bad hygiene and bad attitudes. Its simply not true. Yes, there's a few bad apples out there, but its not the majority of us. Most job applicants try to put their best foot forward. And no, we don't have a "bad attitude" simply because we won't do everything the recruiter tells us, or because we reject certain job interviews the recruiter wants us to go on. This does not equate to having a "bad attitude". I had an employment agency try to get me to work at a company that only paid $11 an hour, when I'd previously earned far more than that. Of course, they told me I had a "bad attitude" <rolling eyeballs> whatever!

I agree that staffing companies and "headhunters" are completely useless. I registered with 8 staffing companies from Robert 1/2 all the way to small local ones in south NJ. They would tell me that "im not a good fit" for a certain position at a company. I'm sorry, but are you god? You can honestly size up someone after meeting them for 10 minutes? Or, I love this one too. I apply for a specific job, they call me back and say "yes, you're perfect for the position, come on in and we can talk." So, I go in, and at the end of the interview they say "well, they want someone with more years of experience." Excuse me? You can read english right? I sent you my resume, to which you responded "you're a perfect fit." It is in plain effing english what I did, and for how long I did it.

My advice to people, it does take MUCH MORE FOOT WORK, but apply for jobs directly with companies yourself and skip the middleman. Just a perspective for you, I am registered like I mentioned with 9 STAFFING COMPANIES!! They have sent me on one (1) interview in 2 months. In that same amount of time I have landed 4 interviews of which 2, the position was shelved for a later time, and the other two I recently had and I am still waiting to hear back on. I received a 400% better result than what the "recruiters" could do. Go it alone, do you foot work, etc, and you will find that they are a waste of time, and a waste of air.